Sometimes, I have to think that The Sun gets taken for granted. It actually has solar storms all of the time, yet not much is mentioned to the general public. I suppose there is no need to cause situations of panic, especially for something occurring regularly, and often without any truly negative consequences.

The Sun recently has released a coronal mass ejection that was dramatic. The flare was travelling at four million miles per hour! It contained a radiation storm with the power to shut down some of our communications satellites, and will release bursts that will strike Earth until Wednesday.

The ranking of the flare from this solar radiation storm is designated as S3. That means the flare is considered to be strong, as it has released high levels of solar particles, and it has the potential to produce significant damages. The flare could disrupt satellites, produce dangerous levels of radiation for astronauts at the space station, as well as passengers on high-flying aircraft, and it could degrade radio signals. There have been some reports already of air traffic signals being disrupted.

Reports from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration state that this level of C.M.E. is a proton storm that could be dangerous to high-flying aircraft. Also, any surveyors at The International Space Station should not go for any space walks, staying indoors to protect from solar radiation. Yet, they have been told that the storm is not going to be a cause for “extraordinary protection measures”!

The level of this proton storm is the largest since 2005. It is expected to strike Earth near to 9 a.m. E.S.T., tomorrow morning. The waves will create calamity within The Global Positioning System, and it will cause shifts to the global power grid. The waves will be travelling toward Earth at 1,1400 miles per second!